-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla St. Edmond boys golf returning letterwinners are, left to right, Front Row: Hayden Derrig, Landon Saathoff, Jack McElroy

The St. Edmond boys golf squad is a mix of experienced leadership and youthful enthusiasm heading into the 2024 campaign.

Matt Dillon welcomes just two regulars and three total players back to the lineup card this spring, but that hasn’t quelled the fourth-year head coach’s optimism in the preseason.

“I think we’re taking steps in the right direction,” Dillon said. “It might take some time to get settled in, but it’s a really good group of guys and they want to get better. We don’t have a ton of depth, so our margin for error isn’t much. But they’re going to keep working and improving.”

Senior Hayden Derrig and sophomore Jack McElroy return with regular varsity experience, along with junior Landon Saathoff. Freshman Ty Mericle has cracked the early rotation, and will be flanked by juniors Max Nguyen and Kade Schlegel. Sophomore Kinnick Henning is also expected to push for a varsity opportunity.

“Jack and Hayden are the linchpins,” Dillon said. “Jack worked his way up to the top spot late last year and really played well down the stretch. Hayden’s been a part of our program for four years, so he knows both what’s expected and what the (schedule of opponents) is going to be like.”

Mericle “has been one of our most consistent players so far,” Dillon added, “but it’s almost always a period of adjustment for freshmen.”

“If we can consistently have four guys in the upper-30s to mid-40s, I think that’s an attainable goal,” Dillon said. “We just need as much consistency as possible. Getting used to (individual) stroke play at this level, where every shot matters and counts, is sometimes a challenge. We’re really working on getting the short game down; you can’t afford to play a good hole, only to give shots away with chipping and putting. That’s where you score.”

After opening their season in Gowrie on Tuesday versus Southeast Valley, St. Edmond has its home opener on Friday against South Central Calhoun at Lakeside.

2024 ST. EDMOND BOYS GOLF

Roster

Senior — Hayden Derrig.

Juniors — Landon Saathoff, Max Nguyen, Kade Schlegel, Logan Reed.

Sophomores — Jack McElroy, Kinnick Henning, Jamison Baker, Jackson Calvert, Koleman Hanson, Ethan Swisher.

Freshmen — Ty Mericle, Evan Christiansen, Carter Kirkegaard, Griffin Laufersweiler.

Schedule

April 12 — South Central Calhoun; 15 –at Greene County; 16 — Algona and Hampton-Dumont/CAL; 19 — at Humboldt; 22 — at South Hamilton; 24 — CYO meet at Lakeside; 26 — at Webster City; 27 — at OABCIG Invitational; 30 — at Clarion-Goldfield/Dows.

May 4 — at Coon Rapids-Bayard Invitational; 6 — North Central Conference meet at the Fort Dodge Country Club.